


A Strong Bond

by SeleneMoon



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Gen, Possessive Azula (Avatar), Protective Zuko (Avatar), Reincarnation, The Wani Crew (Muffinlance), Zuko (Avatar) is a Good Brother
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:06:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27364756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeleneMoon/pseuds/SeleneMoon
Summary: Zuko has always had this instinct to protect his sister. He's hunted the Avatar for three years for this very reason. Hehasto get back to Azula.But what will he do when that same instinct presents itself when he comes face to face with the Avatar? Achild, one who needs his protection far more than Azula ever did.
Relationships: Aang & Gyatso (Avatar), Aang & Zuko (Avatar), Azula & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 211
Kudos: 650
Collections: A:tla, The Best of Avatar the Last Airbender





	1. The Child

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Electrons](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Electrons/gifts).



> So I was talking to Electrons and I mentioned this fic that I had put aside. They really wanted to read it, so I dug it up and typed it out. I had to write the end of the chapter on the fly (it looks like I hopscotched around season 1 and a little season 2). I do have more but expect some infrequent updates because I have a _lot_ of other writing going on.

“Azula needs to have freedom and fun. She needs to grow up as a normal girl.” Zuko insisted. He was standing before the flames of the Fire Lord’s throne, his features obscured by the blaze. Beside the throne was a Fire Sage, his features thrown into shadows by the Fire Lord’s veil of flames. Zuko felt none of the conflicting emotions he normally had when faced with his father.

“You cannot keep protecting her from her destiny!” The whiny Fire Sage snapped. Zuko controlled his face to keep from glaring at him. The Fire Lord considered both of them.

“Zuko, I know you mean well, but you are letting your affection for your sister cloud your judgement.” It wasn’t his father’s voice but the implication of the words were chilling.

“All I want is what’s best for her.” He pleaded.

“But what we need is what’s best for the Fire Nation.” The Fire Lord declared. “You and Azula must be separated! The princess will be sent to Ember Island to complete her training.” Zuko felt as though he had been dropped from a great height and had all the air knocked from his chest, then replaced with fire. His hands clenched. He would not let his sister go without a fight.

He was in front of Azula’s door, an egg custard tart hidden behind his back. She would need it. “Azula.” He called over the storm raging outside. “Azula, I’m not going to let them take you away from me.” Zuko creaked the door open. “Azula?” He gasped and threw the door open, revealing a darkened room. The light from the hall illuminated a scroll lying on the bed. Outside the open window the storm raged on.

Zuko bolted upright in bed. Lamps flared to life and candles blazed in agitation. His heart raced. Then he dropped his head into his hands. He was never going to stop having that stupid dream, was he? Never mind that he was the one banished. Never mind that Azula was more than capable of taking care of herself. He never understood that dream, though he’d been having it for as long as he could remember. If it had continued he would have run down to the stables to get a komodo-rhino and go after the runaway, but the palace would be attacked by earth or waterbenders. He knew then that if he left he’d only lead them to Azula. So he stayed. He would buy her all the time he could.

Stupid.

He shoved himself out of bed and took the swords from the wall. But the room felt stifling. He’d train with firebending on the deck, he decided, regretfully replacing the blades. As he passed his desk, he hesitated. That dream always made him want to write to Azula. To remind her she wasn’t alone… But his letters only seemed to anger her.

He shook off the impulse and walked out the door.

Zuko had traversed the world in his banishment. He had encountered spirits, frauds, and sights no other Fire Navy ship had in his search for a legend. He had traveled to all of the Air Temples except for one. He’d found written records in the Eastern Air Temple that the Avatar was to arrive there from the Southern Air Temple where he’d been raised. He’d even found a name, Aang. It was a good name. The Southern Air Temple was the most remote, so of course that was where the Avatar was last heard of. It was vexing but it was also most likely how he survived. The Army they had sent there had no place to fall back on. The then hardy Southern Water Tribe on one side and the stubborn Earth Kingdom on the other. The Fire Nation would be at a disadvantage and the Air Nomads would have had a much better chance.

Zuko didn’t like visiting the Air Temples. They were filled with bodies. He felt a strong spike of guilt whenever he arrived. Guilt that mounted when he noted that the only weapons there were of Fire Nation design. Zuko went to the helm to examine maps. He knew where they were going. There was a Water Tribe village in the area. He’d have to be aware of that. Post some guards.

Zuko frowned as the light changed and glanced up. He shot outside in an instant.

A bright pillar of blue light split the sky. Zuko recognized the ethereal glow from his previous run ins with spirits and the Spirit World. But he had never seen so much spiritual energy in the physical world. There was only one person who could channel that much spirit energy here.

His search was over. He could finally go home. He could protect his sister. He ignored Uncle Iroh’s attempt to temper his hope and set a course. It was the Avatar. There was no doubt in his mind.

Zuko had to get into the village before they could mount a defense from its wall, so he crashed through the ice, walls and all. He quickly realized it had been unnecessary. There was only one defender. A boy younger than he was, who was easily disarmed.

“Where are you hiding him?” Zuko demanded. He pointedly ignored the frightened eyes of the children. He grabbed an old woman, wrenching her away from the teen beside her. “The airbender. He’d be about this woman’s age.” He shook her for emphasis. “I _know_ you’re hiding him.” He shoved the woman back into the arms of the teen. The tribe was glaring at him, cowering in fear. Zuko tried not to let it bother him. He _needed_ to capture the Avatar. The foolish defender attacked again. Zuko easily defeated him. But the boomerang took him by surprise. He growled and a pair of fiery daggers flared into existence in his hands.

Then _he_ appeared. A boy who sent snow flying into the faces of him and his crew. A boy with clothing and tattoos that he’d only seen in drawings or scraps of on old bones. A boy that the Water Tribe teens called ‘Aang’. This was the Avatar.

And he was no more than twelve years old.

“You’re just a child!” Zuko snapped in dismay.

“Well, you’re just a teenager.” The boy returned. They fought. Zuko was showy but half-hearted. He’d trained all this time for this? He was _hunting_ a _child?_ His stomach curdled in discomfort.

Apparently even his lackluster firebending was enough to scare the child, the _Avatar_ , into giving himself up for the sake of the village. Zuko agreed to it easily, eager to end this fight with a boy and go. He ignored the heaviness in his chest as the ~~child~~ Avatar was escorted up the gangplank.

As the ship pulled away, Zuko plucked the staff from Aang’s hands. “Have some bedding sent to the cell.” He ordered flatly. “I don’t want him freezing on the way home.” He stared at Aang. He needed to have the chef create some vegetarian meals if he wanted Aang to eat. And-

 _Why did it have to be a twelve year old?_ One of the guards shoved Aang.

“ _Don’t!_ ” Zuko snarled, flames licking from his hands. Iroh rescued the staff from his grip. Zuko registered the eyes on him and quickly rephrased his statement. “Don’t damage him.” Big grey eyes stared at him. Zuko avoided them, even as something tugged in his chest. Something he hadn’t felt for anyone but his little sister. An intense, unreasonable need to protect.

Aang was twelve.

And if Zuko spent anymore time with him he was going to release him from those bonds himself. “Take him to his cell.” He snapped. Any gloating he would have done over a hundred year old Avatar was meaningless in the face of this child.

A child who’d arrived to a fight on a penguin with a smile on his face.

He fled to his room, a guard already leaning the staff against his bed before he scurried out. He couldn’t be questioning his choices now. He was so close. And if those wide grey eyes glinting with joy and fear made him want to go down and release that child… He could do that. The temptation was strong. His crew had only seen him airbend (that snow could be explained away with airbending). _They_ didn’t know that the Air Nomad Avatar was named Aang. He could release him. Explain it all away as the descendant of some survivor from the Genocide a hundred years ago. It wouldn’t be approved of but they’d seen the bodies at the Temples too. They might not even report him. It was shameful, but not unforgivable. He could do it.

 _No_. He _had_ to capture him. _For Azula_. For his little sister! To go back to her and-

And what? She didn’t need his protection and for years she’d made it clear that she didn’t want it either. His hazy first memories of the days after he’d been burned was of her gleefully asking if he knew if he was blind yet. She’d smiled as he burned…

Aang had smiled as he bantered with friends and defended them.

Zuko wasn’t the only one who would hunt the Avatar.

Aang needed his protection more than Azula ever would.

Was his honor worth that child’s freedom?

Was it worth his life?

There were quiet footsteps outside. Too quiet for his crew’s combat boots. Zuko frowned and stood up, crossing the room. But the door creaked open as he reached it. Zuko automatically stepped behind the door, letting it hide him. Always better to get the jump on an uninvited guest.

“My staff!” Aang gasped, rushing into the room.

He had escaped. Zuko was quietly impressed and silently furious. His crew clearly needed to work on their vigilance.

…He could capture him again. Close the door and corner him. The airbender seemed to do better with lots of space to move, not these close quarters.

Zuko pressed against the wall the door blocking him from view. He could do it. It would be easy…

The door closed as the Avatar fled. Zuko slid down the wall and leaned his head against his knees. Nothing about this situation was easy.


	2. Transition: Hunter v. Protector

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko struggles with the morals and inevitably comes to a decision.
> 
> Original title: ~~Hunter~~ Protector

Zuko was going to remain in his room. If he left it he was going to be face with the difficult choice. His mission or a child. A sister who didn’t want him or an unknown boy who needed him. It was the shouting that changed his mind. His crew wasn’t exactly known for their restraint. They could easily burn the boy and that was something Zuko wanted to avoid whether he ended up in his brig or roaming free.

Zuko arrived on the deck just in time to see Lt. Jee launch a fireball that sent the Avatar over the railing and into the icy sea. “NO!” He shouted, running to the rail. He could vaguely hear an echo that sounded like the girl from the village. Zuko stared desperately into the depths of the water. His heart lifted when he saw the ethereal blue glow that had drawn him to the village where the Avatar hid in the first place. The Avatar burst from the ocean in a funnel of water. He landed on the deck, the water twisting around him.

 _So much for convincing the crew he’s not the Avatar._ Zuko thought despondently. Then he was struck by the water being manipulated by the child with glowing eyes and tattoos. “AH!” Zuko leapt to his feet at the shout. His eyes darting around the deck. Jee had gone over the side. He ran to the place Jee had been, heart in his throat as he looked over the edge. But the lieutenant clung to the anchor chain. Zuko could already see his grip slipping, weighed down as he was by his heavy improperly cleaned armor.

Zuko dropped down to hook his foot at the base of the chain. He dangled upside down and seized Jee’s wrist right as his grip gave way. He jolted and for a second Zuko thought his arm was going to be pulled out of his socket, but Jee immediately grabbed the chain with his other hand, relieving some of the weight. Working together they managed to clamber back up on to the deck, just in time to see Teruko launch a fireball at the retreating flying bison. The Avatar redirected the blast into the ice wall. Jee and Zuko just barely had time to dive to one side as the minor avalanche fell down on them.

Zuko slowly got to his feet, his narrowed eyes swept over his crew, some covered in ice and being thawed by other firebenders. “Need I remind you,” Zuko growled, his intense glare focusing on Teruko and Jee. “That we need the Avatar _alive_.” Zuko stalked the deck, examining the ice clad crew to assure himself they were still breathing. “I, for one, am not interested in restarting our search and having to prove that a waterbending _infant_ is, in fact, the Avatar.” His eyes flicked around them. “Nonlethal force.” He ordered. “In _all_ future encounters.” He turned away and tried not to sigh at the ice burying his ship. “And dig us out once those three are in the infirmary.” He ordered with a huff.

Zuko was still struggling with what he wanted to do when they arrived at the shipyard. He ignored the ships dwarfing his own. And spoke in hushed tones to his uncle. “I want the repairs made as quickly as possible. I don't want to stay too long and risk losing his trail.”

“You mean the Avatar.” Iroh sounded almost bored. Zuko turned on him.

“Don’t mention his name.” He hissed. Whether he decided to go through with his mission or not, he could not afford to let word get out about the Avatar’s return. “Once word gets out that he's alive, every firebender will be out looking for him, and I don't want anyone getting in the way!” He hated the idea of hunting the kid, but the idea of anyone else hunting him was infinitely worse. Fortunately, his own position may well act as a deterrent for most other hunters, but not all.

“Getting in the way of what, Prince Zuko?” The pleasantly slimy voice sent a shudder up Zuko’s spine.

“Captain Zhao.” Exactly the person he didn’t want to see right now. Exactly the kind of person who would steal the Avatar right from his fingertips and wouldn’t care about how much damage the child received in the process. Zuko wouldn’t have even noticed him at his Agni Kai if he hadn’t been standing so close (improperly close) to his uncle and sister. But he’d seen his smile. Zuko knew that Azula had her own reasons for smiling even if he didn’t completely understand them. He had no idea what Zhao’s reasons were and he had no interest in finding out.

Zuko’s attempts to brush off Zhao’s inquires and companionship were undermined by his uncle. And he soon found himself restrained (barely restrained) by decorum as Zhao pontificated at them and Iroh enjoyed a steaming cup of tea. Zuko hated having to deal with Zhao’s thinly veiled insults. But as long as he didn’t give anything away, Zhao would have no reason to question him.

After all, Zhao was right. The Avatar hadn’t been seen in a hundred years. And unless Zuko said otherwise, nothing could be proven. He took that opening as an excuse to leave… but it wasn’t his less than impressive lying that got him caught this time… it was his gossiping crew.

They were all going to have extra shifts cleaning out the bathrooms and shoving coal (getting yelled at by Hanako).

As expected, once Zhao had heard the story, he tried to _steal_ Zuko’s mission. _Undermining the Fire Lord in the process_ , a voice in the corner of his mind whispered. Zuko shook the thought off, uncertain whether his father would actually stop Zhao from hijacking his mission. No, Zhao was going after that boy and he didn’t care if he got hurt.

Zuko broke the table in half in his fury.

He had to figure out a way to prove to Zhao that he was not to be underestimated. That he _could_ and _would_ defeat him if it came down to it… In the end it was astonishingly easy to challenge Zhao to an Agni Kai. The disrespect he showed him… Zuko may well have challenged him even if he _wasn’t_ trying to make a point.

Despite his win something in Zuko rebelled against taking Zhao’s life. Even as despicable as he was, Zuko knew that he simply wasn’t worth it. That even as he’d watch Zhao go down, he’d be poisoning himself. Like handling a two headed rat viper that would destroy them both. “Next time you get in my way.” _If you ever get between me and that kid_. “I won’t hold back.”

Then Zuko made the mistake of turning his back.

Fortunately, Iroh was watching it. He stopped Zhao’s attack and Zuko’s subsequent move to retaliate. “Even in exile, my nephew is more honorable than you.” Zuko’s breath caught and for the first time in days he stopped thinking about the Avatar.

“Did you really mean that, Uncle?” He asked quietly as they walked away. He wished Uncle hadn’t turned it into a tea joke, but he still felt like a slight weight had lifted from his heart as he walked away from his second Agni Kai. Victorious.

That feeling went away when he saw Zhao mount the gangplank of his scouting ship while the Wani was still being repaired. That honorless creep was still going after the Avatar. And that more than anything solidified Zuko’s decision. He had to protect the child. Because a man who had smiled when a thirteen year old burned was pursuing him, and Zuko couldn’t be sure that he didn’t want to give it a try himself.

Zuko had to make it look like he was hunting the Avatar, even if his ultimate goal was to place himself squarely between the boy and Zhao (and others who might hunt him but Zhao was unquestionably his priority). He had to follow him, which meant that it was a relief and a burden when the Avatar and his friends proved _utterly inept_ at traveling inconspicuously. Luckily, they seemed far more skilled at evasive maneuvers. _He’s sightseeing_ , Zuko shook off the thought. These were _clearly_ evasive maneuvers! The Avatar wasn’t _sightseeing_. _He’s a twelve year old Air Nomad traveling with two Water Tribe teens on a flying bison. And I’ve been to most of these places… All of them are near old travel destinations. Spirits curse it, he is sightseeing!_ Zuko crumpled the map between his hands and leaned his head against his fists. Despite how utterly _infuriating_ that was, it also drove home that he really was a _child_. Zuko’s uneasiness about his decision was settling into a dull ache in his chest. An ache that, when prodded, reminded him he was failing his sister. He was accepting that he wouldn’t be able to return to her.

Telling himself that she didn’t want him there anyway didn’t seem to help.

Was it too much to ask for a world where he could be with his sister without hunting another child? Was it too much to ask for a world where a child wasn’t _hunted_?

…wasn’t that what the Fire Nation was supposed to be fighting for?

“The Avatar’s on Kyoshi Island?!” Zuko shot to his feet. If word reached him this fast through simple gossip Zhao would be heading there in no time. He had to get there first to chase the boy off. “Uncle, ready the rhinos! He’s not getting away from me this time!”

Iroh frowned. “Are you going to finish that?” He asked, pointing at the fish they’d just been served.

“I was saving it for later!” Zuko snapped, snatching the plate. He knew that Iroh worried about his eating habits. He’d never liked fish, or meat in general, and Iroh was always pushing it on him, insisting that he needed more protein. Iroh crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. He didn’t believe him. “I’ll eat it!” Zuko shouted. “Helmsman Kyo! Set a course to Kyoshi Island!”

When they reached Kyoshi Island, Zuko turned to his crew. “I want the Avatar _alive_.” He reiterated. His crew nodded. Teruko and Jee were stuck on the ship and seemed somewhat put out about that. “Let’s go.”

Zuko didn’t love storming a town. But it was better than what Zhao would do. He just had to make it look good. “Come out, Avatar!” _Run away._ “You can’t hide from me forever!” _People are after you. You have to keep moving._ “Find him.” He ordered the members of his crew that had accompanied him.

In an old play that Zuko’s family saw every year (as well as _Love Amongst the Dragons_ ), there was a troop of Fire Nation soldiers made up of women. It was one of the plays that Azula loved when she first saw it. And that he and their mother would read out to her until she was ‘too old’ for bedtime stories. It was only during his banishment researching the Avatar that he learned that troop of female soldiers was originally the Kyoshi Warriors and had been changed to the Fire Nation soldiers after the war began. When he’d mentioned this in a letter to Azula, she’d sent him the charred remains of the scroll he and their mother read to her.

It probably said something about their relationship that Zuko was as touched that she’d kept the scroll as he was hurt that she’d destroyed it.

Zuko had always looked up to the Fire Nation soldiers (Kyoshi Warriors) in that play. And he was not going to make the mistake of underestimating them when a girl in Avatar Kyoshi’s headdress attacked. And when several of them came at him at once, he spun, putting enough power behind his blasts to force them back without burning them… hopefully. He fought them off, including the one that had a strangely familiar hairstyle. He glanced around the thankfully deserted street.

“Nice try, Avatar! But these little girls can’t save you!” _Please don’t make me keep fighting them._

“Hey! Over here!” Zuko turned. The Avatar stood at the end of the street. Staff raised, as if to fight him.

“Finally.” Zuko said. Now to chase him off.

Zuko threw his fireballs, he let the kid get the upper hand a few times but he didn’t hesitated to light buildings up. The more damage the more likely the boy was to try to lead him off.

It worked.

As the bison swooped overhead. Zuko gratefully shouted “Back to the ship! Don’t lose sight of them!” Zuko and his crew retreated. The prince kept his eyes on the bison and very nearly had a heart attack when he saw a small figure leap from his back. Then a massive eel erupted from the ocean. Zuko could almost make out the tiny form of the Avatar on its head as it opened its mouth and spewed water across the island. Drenching him and his crew.

The situation was so absurd that Zuko found himself clenching his jaw to keep from bursting out laughing. He watched the Avatar land safely back on the bison and breathed a silent sigh of relief as he flew away.

Zhao wasn’t likely to come here now. The Avatar wasn’t here and he likely assumed Zuko had exacted revenge on the town. All in all, today could have gone a lot worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit to a meat avoidant Zuko goes to a conversation with [ScribblesDarling](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScribblesDarling/pseuds/ScribblesDarling) in the comments and my own realization that _I_ don't like meat even though I'm not a vegetarian. (And am slightly meat avoidant myself.) 
> 
> (I don't eat mammals.)


	3. Chasing the Avatar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko chases the Avatar until someone else catches him. 
> 
> That someone else is Zhao. And Zuko isn't going to leave the Avatar with him long.

Zuko received intel that there was a prison break in an area the Fire Nation hadn’t had any problems with previously. On a hunch, he traveled to the prison and found the waterbender’s necklace. He might not have recognized it, but it was so out of place in the middle of the Earth Kingdom.

He didn’t like that they were freeing prisoners. It made him seem like an _actual threat_. Which… he was. But it was his _companions_ who instigated this jail break. Zuko tucked the necklace away for safe keeping. Maybe it would be a good bargaining chip. _Maybe he could return it._

Zuko was fine with Uncle wasting his time (less headache about what to do if he accidently overtook the Avatar). He couldn’t let anyone else know that. He yelled at him to get going but when the man fell asleep in his self-heated hot spring Zuko was glad to let him rest. He’d even have reheated the water when it cooled if Uncle had had the decency to wear a towel. He returned to the ship. Uncle usually woke up after two hours… so when it was getting close to three Zuko started to get ~~worried~~ annoyed. He snapped at Teruko and Pikesman Kazuto to come with him.

Zuko started shouting for his uncle before he arrived. Kazuto made the mistake of suggesting that his uncle might have thought he’d left him. He completely missed the irregular rock formation where his uncle had been.

Uncle Iroh had been captured by earthbenders.

Zuko sent Teruko and Kazuto back to the _Wani_ (to Teruko’s frustration and Kazuto’s relief). Teruko was a firebender; Zuko had seen what earthbenders did to firebenders to keep them from bending (his stomach churned at the thought of his uncle’s hands in that condition) and it might be unkind but Kazuto would just slow him down. Zuko took the komodo-rhino and began tracking them. His uncle was only out here because of him. He had to save him, at all costs.

Uncle was leaving him a trail. There was no other reason he would drop his sandal. He had to know that Zuko was coming for him. There had been no sign that he’d been maimed, yet. Perhaps they planned on making a public spectacle of it. As furious as the thought made him, it worked in their favor for now.

There was no question who he would follow when he saw the Avatar’s bison in the sky. His crew wasn’t there to convince of his determination to complete his mission. The Avatar wasn’t in immediate danger. His uncle was.

Zuko arrived just in time to see the rock being lifted above Iroh’s hands. He kicked it away before the earthbender could drop it. Then he shattered his uncle’s chains with a strong kick strengthened by a short controlled blast of fire that no one but his uncle would have noticed.

“Excellent form, Prince Zuko.” His uncle flicked his chains as if they were weapons.

“You taught me well.” Zuko returned the praise.

“Surrender yourselves. It's five against two. You're clearly outnumbered.” The leader of the earthbenders ordered.

“Yeah, that's true, but you are clearly outmatched.” Iroh said with a cocky dismissiveness that made Zuko remember the reputation his uncle had enjoyed before the inauspicious end of the Siege of Ba Sing Se. He was right though. Zuko and Iroh made short work of the band of earthbenders.

After that Zuko’s priority was to get him to put on some pants.

Teruko and Kazuto had seen the bison too. They had taken it upon themselves to investigate. Zuko couldn’t understand it. He believed them, Teruko was terrifying and Kazuto was just bland enough for people to speak freely in front of him. (The only person on the ship better able to gather information was Helmsman Kyo, who exuded a harmless aura that was patently false.) But it didn’t make sense.

_Why was the Avatar headed for the Fire Nation?!_

Zuko had a choice to make.

His ship was right on the Avatar’s tail. His bison directly above them. He fired a warning shot from the catapult. They were headed for Fire Nation waters.

…If the Avatar _weren’t_ a child with innocent grey eyes, Zuko wouldn’t hesitate. If he were really trying to capture him, he’d run the blockade just for the opportunity to grab him. But… there wasn’t anything he could _do_ in the Fire Nation. He might have some sway over soldiers in the Earth Kingdom, but the Fire Nation?

He couldn’t protect the Avatar there. And if he tried to he’d only put his uncle and crew in danger. Zhao was exactly petty enough to try to charge them for ‘aiding’ him in returning the Fire Nation waters. Maybe if he was alone, Zuko could justify it, putting himself at risk on the off chance he was needed. He couldn’t play with other lives like that.

He acquiesced to his uncle’s objections.

As he watched the Avatar’s bison shrink in the distance until he finally vanished into the horizon, Zuko felt his uncle’s hand on his shoulder.

“You did the right thing, Prince Zuko.” Iroh’s calming voice assured him. Zuko shrugged him off. He stomped away below deck, ignoring the conflicted expressions on his crew’s face. Though Lt. Jee gave him a grudgingly approving nod as he passed.

Zuko nearly crumpled in relief when he overheard the pirate tell his captain that they had lost “the Water Tribe girl and the little bald monk.” They had made it out of the Fire Nation. They were _alright_. ( _They were engaging in petty theft._ A disapproving corner of his mind noted. Zuko shook it off. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t done worse.) He stiffened when he heard the captain order his men to search the woods. Time to inject himself into the situation.

“This monk, did he have an arrow on his head?”

He hoped that the Avatar and his companions had moved on, but his luck had never been that good. They found the frustrated waterbender struggling with the scroll at the edge of the river. His alarm spiked when the pirates grabbed her. Before she got too far he seized her wrists so the pirates wouldn’t have an excuse to touch her. “I’ll save you from the pirates.” He promised. His words were at odds with his tone, but he was completely serious.

Zuko surrounded the girl with his crew. He didn’t trust the pirate crew. While this was safer for her, it meant that he had no way to reassure her. In fact, he would have to be more aware of his expressions and actions than ever to convince the crew of his sincerity in the hunt.

It didn’t come naturally to him. But… his mother once told him that when she was uncertain in court she pretended she was an actor in a play. Zuko took a deep breath and channeled one of his favorite villains from one of his mother’s plays. Someone who thought that he was justified in his evil ways. He appealed to her and cajoled her. Privately pleased at her refusal to comply, but outwardly frustrated. He couldn’t refrain from the slight rebuke when he told her he hadn’t _stolen_ her necklace.

Realistically… the only way she would be freed was if her companions came to rescue her. And the pirate crew was more likely to exact their revenge on the boys if they found them when he didn’t have the leverage of the scroll. Irritated with the entire situation, Zuko sent them off after the boys, holding the scroll over them to ensure the Avatar and Water Tribe boy’s safety.

Of course, they found them easily. It was frustrating how little they seemed able to take care of themselves. Zuko offered the trade. He valiantly hid his smile with shouting when the Water Tribe boy turned the pirates and his crew against each other.

Zuko was actually having fun fighting the pirates. In the chaos he spotted the Water Tribe boy (he had to find out his name) free himself and thrust the scroll into his hands. He gaped at it but before he could say anything Zuko engaged the pirate captain in a fight.

He laughed for the first time in… months? Years? When he spotted the Avatar and his friends hijacking the pirates’ ship. Though his mirth abruptly dissipated when he realized that the pirates took _his_ steamer! Horrified, he watched his boat ram the pirate ship. Their monstrous bison swooped in last minute to save them (thank the spirits). But nothing could be done for his boat, he watched in furious dismay as it went over the falls.

Protecting the Avatar was proving to be a costly endeavor.

“There’s a storm coming. A big one.” Zuko looked from the clear skies to his uncle.

“You are out of your mind. The weather’s perfect.” He said. But his uncle insisted that there was a storm coming from the north and they had to change course.

“Consider the safety of your crew.” Zuko rolled his eyes and spotted Lt. Jee.

“Fine, Lt. Jee!” He called. The man turned to him. Zuko crossed his arms and scowled. “Uncle believes that there is a storm coming from the north and we should change course. What do you think?” Lt. Jee looked at the sky and back at Zuko and Iroh incredulously.

“A storm?” He repeated. “The weather is fair.” Zuko smirked smugly at his uncle.

“Then you agree, we should stay on course?”

“Yes, sir.”

A few hours later, Lt. Jee sheepishly admit that his uncle was right about the storm and his uncle was citing a lucky guess. Zuko stomped away from both of them, in a foul mood. His uncle and crew retreated to the interior of the ship. Zuko wondered what they were talking about down there.

Zuko was regretting not listening to his uncle when he had the chance as he and Lt. Jee hoisted Helmsman Kyo back to safety. Then he caught a flash of white descending from the clouds. He turned and his eyes widened in horror at the bison. What was the Avatar doing out in this storm?!

“The Avatar!” Helmsman Kyo cried, pointing.

Lt. Jee straightened. “What do you want to do, sir?” He looked at Zuko.

“Let him go.” Zuko ordered without hesitation. “We need to get the ship to safety.” Lt. Jee nodded, and for some reason Zuko thought he saw more respect in his eyes than he ever had previously.

Zhao was undermining him and his mission again. He couldn’t even leave the area (not that he would, he knew that the Avatar was nearby). He wished that his uncle could take this _seriously_ but he seemed to be relaxed and serious at the strangest times. The realization that Zhao had been promoted was a bleak one. He’d have more resources, even- Zuko stiffened as he realized where they were. Even the Yuyan Archers.

If he knew the Yuyan Archers the Avatar would be in Admiral Zhao’s hands by morning. He swallowed the rising nausea. He moved to a drawer and opened it slowly. A leering blue mask stared up at him. Could he do it? Shaking hands lifted the mask, steadying as he held it up. He didn’t have a choice. That child was going to be trapped by Zhao, with his sinister smiles and cloyingly cruel words. That carefree airbender was going to be locked up, away from the sky and the sun.

Zuko was the only one who had any chance of rescuing him. He turned and pulled the dual blades from his wall. He couldn’t fail him now. He’d get him out before Zhao could lay a hand on him.

He had to.

The hardest part of the night wasn’t infiltrating the stronghold. It wasn’t taking out the guards or holding back his bending. The hardest thing he had to do that night, maybe ever, was holding crossed blades at the Avatar’s throat. He wanted to whisper comfort into his ear, but his own throat was clogged. He couldn’t believe he was doing this. They backed through the gate. Just a little farther. Then he could pull the blades from his neck. They were nearly to the tree line. Just a little- Zuko barely registered the pain in his temple before everything went black.

Aang stared in shock when he lifted the mask from his rescuer’s face. He started to run, but… he couldn’t just leave him. He returned, seized his hunter and vanished with him into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is actually one of the first I wrote for this fic! Motivation reveal everyone! We're swapping over to Aang's POV for it! 
> 
> I know, you were probably hoping it would be this one... But I decided that since I'm swapping over to Aang, I should also have them be different chapters.


	4. Truth and Fortunes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aang finally gets a chance to talk to his (protector) rescuer. And Aunt Wu makes a prediction

Aang stared at nothing, his knees tucked up to his chest. In his periphery he could see the prince who had chased him around the world stirring. When his eyes blinked open and he stared blearily up at airbender on the huge root above him, Aang began to speak.

“You know what the worst part of being born over a hundred years ago is?” He asked, but didn’t give him a chance to answer. “I miss all the friends I used to hang out with. Before the war started, I used to always visit my friend Kuzon. The two of us, we'd get in and out of so much trouble together.” Aang smiled nostalgically. “He was one of the best friends I ever had, and he was from the Fire Nation, just like you.” Aang looked down at the golden eyes hopefully. “If we knew each other back then, do you think we could have been friends, too?” He tensed, ready to move if the response was fire, but hoping…

Zuko sighed. “Kid, I am already doing all I can for you. You can’t expect more.” Aang blinked.

“Wait, what?” He sat up straight, his arms and legs loosening into a less defensive position without his awareness. That was not the response he had expected.

Zuko stood up, leaves falling around him from the bed Aang had gathered with a localized whirlwind, his mask dangling loosely from his fingers. “Avatar, you need to get going. Take the bison and do some evasion. Or just visit more ancient tourist attractions, it will throw them off.”

“No, I want to know what you mean.” Aang set his jaw stubbornly. “How is chasing me and trying to capture me helping?”

Zuko rubbed his head where the arrow had struck him, wincing slightly. “Avatar, how many people are looking for you? Not the Fire Nation in general, how many people specifically?”

“I don’t know… You and Zhao are the only ones I can think of.” Aang shrugged, unsure what Zuko was getting at.

“Exactly.” Zuko looked up at Aang, close enough and calm enough that Aang noticed for the first time the way his scar made that eye partially close in a permanent squint (or glare). “Avatar, you are the most valuable prize a general could present to the Fire Lord, and you might be formidable but you’re also _twelve_. Do you know what an easy target you make?” Zuko’s gaze was frustrated but the furrowed brows that Aang always thought conveyed anger the boy abruptly recognized as concern, mangled by the scar and the circumstances of their previous encounters. Aang jumped down from the root and stood in front of the man he had thought was his enemy.

“Then why has it only been the two of you?” He asked, peering up at Zuko.

“Because, however far I might have fallen, I am still the prince.” Zuko seemed to straighten unconsciously. “And most commanders aren’t willing to get in my way.” Zuko’s lip curled in disgust. “With the obvious exception of Zhao.”

“So, by chasing me,” Aang said slowly. “You’re actually protecting me?” Zuko rubbed his face without answering. “ _Why?_ ”

“Because you. Are. _Twelve_.” He said forcefully, hand clenching. “You are barely older than my sister was the last time I saw her.” Zuko’s eyes went far away. “And she might be every bit the resourceful prodigy you are but I would never let her be hunted like this.” Zuko’s pained gaze fell on Aang. “And I can’t let you be either.” His hand came up and Aang nearly flinched when he put it on his head. “You’re just a kid.” Aang stilled as Zuko ruffled non-existent hair. “You have too much on your shoulders as it is.”

Before Aang knew what he was doing he had thrown himself into Zuko’s chest in a desperate hug. Zuko staggered back, uncertain, before hesitant arms wrapped around Aang’s shaking shoulders. Everyone looked at him, the tattoos, the clothes, and saw the last airbender, the Avatar. The first thing Zuko had seen was a child.

He missed being a child.

“Avatar, you have to go.” Zuko said gently.

“ _Don’t_ call me that.” He snarled wetly into his chest. ‘Avatar’ was a title that Aang had lost a century running from. He didn’t want to hear it from Zuko, the _only one_ who recognized that he was just a kid; the only one who didn’t put the burden of saving this war-torn world on his shoulders. Zuko hesitated.

“Aang,” He gripped his shoulders and pushed him back far enough that he could meet his reddened, streaming eyes. “It’s not safe here. You have to go.”

“Are you going to keep chasing me?” Aang asked desperately. A small smile, the first Aang had ever seen from the prince, quirked his mouth.

“You know I will.” He dropped his hands and adjusted his swords. “Might take me a little while to catch up. Zhao likes to keep tabs on me and he isn’t letting my ship leave the area.” He slipped on the mask. “I’ll draw any pursuers off while you get to safety.” The Blue Spirit cupped Aang’s face in both of his hands and wiped away the remaining tears. Then he leapt into the darkness and out of sight.

Aang sniffed and rubbed his nose. Then he collected his staff and went to find frozen frogs.

Aang couldn’t stop thinking about Zuko. As soon as Katara and Sokka were well enough Aang loaded them on to Appa, packing messily (he didn’t realize they had so much stuff), and urging the bison into the air. He insisted that Katara and Sokka remain in their sleeping bags and they dropped off quickly as Aang urged Appa above the clouds, beyond the eyes of archers. He fidgeted with Appa’s fur, unable to sit still. Was Zuko alright? He seemed coherent enough but that arrow _had_ knocked him out and he’d always seemed unstoppable before. Aang groaned and rubbed his eyes.

Things had seemed so much _simpler_ last night, but wasn’t this better? Prince Zuko wasn’t trying to catch him, he was trying to _protect_ him. So why was he so stressed?

He was worried about him. The realization made him tighten his hands on the reins. What if he was more injured than they realized? What if someone asked him how he’d gotten hurt?

 _What if Zhao realized he’d rescued Aang?!_ Aang’s breath caught. He started to turn Appa around but stopped himself last moment. Zuko would probably be furious if he put himself back in Zhao’s path. And he could actually _confirm_ Zhao’s suspicions if he landed on Zuko’s ship out of nowhere. Aang groaned, and buried his face in his hands, dropping the reins. He should have insisted Zuko come with them.

He shouldn’t have left him behind.

Aang was stress braiding. Air Nomads would make macrame jewelry for friends around the world and he found himself reverting to that practice. (Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he was considering the best pattern for Zuko.) He used loose strands of Appa’s hair to remind himself of the different knots, though it wasn’t the best thing to use for an actual gift. He should make Katara a necklace. Since hers was with… His thoughts circled back to Zuko.

“Aang?” The airbender looked back at their passengers. Sokka was sitting up, still ensconced in his sleeping bag, the fur trim ruffling in the wind. His voice was still a little raspy, even if the frog seemed to have cleared the hazy fever glaze in his eyes.

“How are you feeling?” Aang asked, spinning around to face him. Doing his best to focus on him instead of the protector he’d left behind.

“I feel like there’s something in the back of my mouth.” Sokka complained, clearing his throat. Aang grabbed a water flask and brought it to him.

“I’d have made tea and put it in a heated flask before we left but I didn’t have time.” Aang said apologetically. _If Zuko were here he could heat the water for tea._ Aang pushed the thought away. Sokka drank gratefully, but after he made a face, clearing his throat a few times.

“It still feels like there’s something back there.” He turned to Aang and opened his mouth wide. “ee any ‘hing?” He asked, mouth agape. Aang looked.

“Uh, nope. Looks like you’re clear to me.” He sat back, feigning nonchalance.

“Really?” Sokka frowned and closed his mouth, swallowing again. Then his eyes went wide. “Oh no, what if it’s a wart?!” He turned, sticking an arm out of the sleeping bag to shake his sister. “Katara! Katara! Wake up! I think I have a wart on my throatal flap!”

Katara groaned. “Please tell me I’m dreaming.” She mumbled, turning away from him. He kept shaking her, Aang began to relax slightly at the display. “Fine!” Katara sat up. “Let me see it.” Sokka opened in mouth as wide as he could. Katara peered down his throat.

“There’s nothing there, Sokka.” She said, distinctly unamused.

“I’m telling you, I feel something!” Sokka insisted. She spotted the water flask and took it taking a huge, desperate swig.

“Finally.” She sighed, wiping her mouth. She frowned at the clouds around them. “Aang, why did we have to leave so quickly?” Aang instantly tensed up again. They’d been too tired (and disgusted by frogs) to protest in the morning, but now the teens turned to him with questions in their eyes.

Aang swallowed. “Zhao was there.”

“What?!” Sokka tried to jump to his feet but tripped on the sleeping bag and faceplanted into the saddle.

“Did he hurt you?!” Katara demanded as Sokka scrambled back up.

“Not really…” Aang took stock. His wrists did hurt and he had a few bruises, but nothing terrible. “He did capture me though.” Katara choked while Sokka spluttered.

“How did you escape?!” Sokka eventually managed. Aang looked away.

“Someone saved me. A swordsman in a mask.” He weighed his options but decided he _couldn’t_ keep it to himself. “We almost escaped when an archer got in a lucky shot and knocked him out.” He took a shaky breath. “It was Zuko.”

“ _Prince Zuko?!_ ” Katara gasped. “Why would he-? What was he doing?!”

“I didn’t know either, but I took him into the woods and when he woke up he said he’d only been distracting people like Zhao so they wouldn’t hunt me! He said he was _protecting_ me!” Aang said in a rush.

“It has to be a trick.” Katara said with certainty. “He wanted you to let your guard down.”

“But then he would have come with me.” Aang argued, defensive on the prince’s behalf. “He would have come and tried to kidnap me when I was asleep or something!”

“That doesn’t mean you can trust him.” Katara insisted. “Right, Sokka?” Sokka had been conspicuously silent, a pensive look on his face. “Sokka?”

“I don’t know.” He answered, surprising both of them. Aang stared at him hopefully. “I know that he’s been chasing us but… he’s never actually burned any of us, has he?” Katara opened her mouth and closed it with a stunned look on her face. “And when we were fighting those pirates… I never told you but he gave me the waterbending scroll. I thought he just thought I was one of his crew in the chaos but if he’s really been trying to help Aang this whole time…” He trailed off.

“He stole my necklace!” Katara said angrily.

“He _found_ your necklace.” Sokka corrected, a finger in the air. “We didn’t even see Zuko the day that you lost it.” Aang nodded vigorously.

“But _why?_ ” Katara asked in frustration. Sokka didn’t have an answer and turned to Aang expectantly. Aang felt unexpectedly small.

“He said… it was because I’m a kid.”

Aunt Wu delivered her grand prediction to Aang, but it was nothing that he didn’t know. “Does it say anything about love or friendship?”

“L-love or friendship?” Aunt Wu repeated, thrown.

“Yes!” Aang said excitedly, maybe she was about to tell him that he and Katara would end up together or that Zuko would join them soon!

“I’m sorry, but I didn’t see anything.” She said. Aang drooped. Did this mean he wouldn’t end up with Katara? Or that the Fire Nation would keep Zuko from being his friend forever?

“Well, look! I must have missed something!” Aang perked up as Aunt Wu picked up a bone fragment. “Right here. It says ‘trust your-’ hold on.” She cut herself off, squinting suddenly at the fragment. “One moment,” She turned away and found a pair of glasses she perched on her nose to examine the striations on the bone more closely. “How curious.” She murmured.

“What?! What does it say?” Aang jumped up and peered at the bone shard himself. The patterns were meaningless to him.

“It says ‘An old friend has been returned to you.’” She answered. “No, there must be more to it then that.” She knelt and began looking through the fragments. Aang wondered if this was about Bumi. The only old friend he knew of who was still alive. “Ah, here!” She gathered a few more bone shards, letting them fall in the palm of her hand where she studied them intently. “This one says ‘An enemy close to you is actually a friend.’ I’ve only ever seen it the other way around. A friend actually being an enemy.” Aang’s heart started beating faster. “And these indicate a struggle between two children.” She pointed at two similar shards. “Someone who cares about you is going to have to make a choice unless you can make peace with the other child.”

“Who is the other child?” Aang demanded.

“I’m afraid I can’t tell you that.” Aunt Wu said regretfully. “But the person who will have to make the choice is tied to you very closely. They have to be to affect this reading.” She let the bones fall, removing her glasses as she turned to Aang. “They are a part of your past and your future.” A knot loosened in his chest.

“Really?” He beamed.

“Really.” Aunt Wu smiled back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes! It's been building to this! I had the first scene with the Blue Spirit written for _ages_ it was actually one of the first Avatar fanfics I wrote and just thought I would never post. 
> 
> I think a lot about the necklace Aang made for Katara. One of my ideas was that macrame jewelry was a way of saying that even though they were apart they were tied together. (Friendship bracelets are an Air Nomad tradition. Prove me wrong! Actually please don’t. I like this head canon.)
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it!


	5. Care Package

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko has the mixed blessing to deliver a care package to ~~the Avatar~~ Aang and his friends.

Zuko knew he was going to get stuck using the bounty hunter the instant she tore apart his deck. His crew and uncle would know about his doubts if he didn’t take advantage of such a golden opportunity. He had to hire her.

But… this could be a chance to help the kid and his friends out too. He didn’t know how they were eating. The Water Tribe siblings could probably fish but Air Nomads didn’t eat meat. He had a few scrolls tucked away from his Avatar research they might find useful. Now that the Avatar- Aang knew that he couldn’t bring himself to capture him he could pass them a few things. As long as he could get them to ‘steal’ his bag.

Zuko ordered Kyo and Teruko to track the bounty hunter down, then went to pack.

The ~~care package~~ bag was stuffed with instant vegetable broth and noodles, as well as the mix of nuts and dried fruit that Zuko preferred for hiking (he was going to be stuck with spiced jerky for a while… ugh). Some coins that Zuko had on hand also went inside. He tucked in a few scrolls and wrapped the most fragile and valuable items in his old water resistant black poncho to protect them. He hefted the bag. It was a bit heavy for the trip but not so much that anyone would notice. He slung it over one shoulder and strolled out of his cabin.

He had a bounty hunter to meet.

As dismayed as Zuko was with his Uncle’s haggling, or lack thereof (they were on a _budget_ … though Zuko suspected that Uncle supplemented that budget with his own treasury), he was relieved that they were riding her shirshu, Nyla. It was the perfect excuse to leave everyone except his uncle behind, which meant that the kids were less likely to get hurt because he’d lost track of a crewmember.

He resisted the urge to pet Nyla, even though she was very soft looking and fluffy… Okay, maybe he pet her a little bit when he thought that June the bounty hunter wasn’t looking. Zuko slung the bag over the saddle. With a sinking feeling in his stomach he let the large (fluffy) creature sniff the necklace wrapped around his wrist. The shirshu jerked up, sniffing the air. “She’s got the scent.”

Zuko did not enjoy riding on the shirshu. It wasn’t the gallop, in fact he was quite impressed with the creature’s speed and dexterity. He just didn’t like the prolonged contact sandwiched between a woman he didn’t trust and an uncle he did but was _definitely_ using this as a pretext to hug him. Zuko irritably elbowed his impressive girth. Iroh’s arms tightened in an affectionate squeeze.

“Be careful, Prince Zuko. I nearly fell off.” He lied genially. Zuko rolled his eyes, but refrained from elbowing him again. Just in case.

The shirshu race through a village with a curved dome of hardened lava towering above it (What had Aang been up to here?). Sending people fleeing in terror from the sharp toothed mount. Nyla slowed as they approached a building with an apparently unconcerned woman standing in front of it. “Why are we stopping?” Zuko growled.

“The girl must have spent a lot of time here.” June answered as they slowed to a stop. The shirshu rapidly sniffing the cobblestones and the air.

“Care to hear your fortune, handsome?” The woman called up to his uncle. Zuko grimaced.

“At my age there is really only one big surprise left, and I’d just as soon leave it a mystery.” He declined with a grin. Zuko appreciated that he at least wasn’t slowing them down. The woman smiled back and glanced at the other two.

Her eyes widened as they fell on Zuko. Then they softened and her hand came up to her chest. “Oh, you poor dear.” Zuko scowled at her. He hated people pitying him when they saw the scar. She looked back at Iroh. “You might want to teach him that technique.” She patted her belly. Iroh’s breath hitched. Zuko’s eyes narrowed as he looked between his uncle and the woman. She waved as the shirshu caught the scent once more. “Tell the Avatar Meng sends her love!” She called. Zuko’s jaw dropped and he nearly bit his tongue as the shirshu took off again.

“What was she talking about?!” Zuko belatedly exploded. June stuck one finger in her ear. Iroh sighed.

“A technique I learned studying-”

“The Avatar can’t be dating!” Zuko shouted, startling his uncle enough for him to loosen his arms and June to bark a laugh. “Air Nomads don’t get that part of the talk until their fourteenth autumn!”

Iroh seemed stunned in the wake of this proclamation while Zuko internally panicked. Who had told Aang about _that_? Agni blast it had _anyone_ told him?! Was the kid going into dating blind?! Iroh began to chuckle and Zuko flushed as he realized what he’d shouted for the world to hear.

“I forget how extensive your research into Air Nomadic culture was, my nephew.” He patted his shoulder. “I am certain someone has taken care of it.” Zuko was less convinced. He couldn’t recall exactly where he’d read it, but he knew that there were different talks for each year and Aang was too young to have heard the ones that involved… other people.

…Maybe the Water Tribe boy, Sokka, told him?

Zuko shook his head. That Meng girl was still in the village. It wasn’t like he was traveling with her. His companions were too old for him so it wasn’t like anything was going to happen.

He would _not_ be telling the kid Meng had sent her love.

Zuko wished he was behind his uncle. He really wanted to bury his face in his back and pretend the dumpy woman hadn’t said anything at all.

Zuko was not expecting to find Katara and Sokka with their bags packed and Aang nowhere in sight. “Where is he?!” Zuko tried to shove down the panic rising in his throat as he jumped down from the saddle. “Where’s the Avatar?”

“We split up.” Sokka said, eyeing him suspiciously. Zuko narrowed his eyes. If Aang had told them that he’d been committing treason and they outed him… It would not be good.

“Do you think I’m stupid?!” Zuko demanded, trying to keep up appearances.

“That remains to be seen.” Sokka replied. Then he undermined Zuko’s perception of _his_ intelligence by grabbing Katara and trying to run. It was as if Nyla was waiting for them to flee. Her tongue darted out, striking the pair. Zuko sighed as he walked over and squatted next to them.

“That is a shirshu. Paralytic poison in the tongue.”

“I noticed.” Sokka stiltedly said while his sister glared with uncertain anger. The shirshu sniffed around.

“Give it half an hour.” He muttered as she caught the scent.

“Nyla’s got the scent. Let’s go!” June shouted, Nyla digging at the ground and rearing to go. Zuko moved to pick up Sokka. “What? Are you seriously wasting time now?” June demanded, struggling with her mount. Zuko scowled at her.

“I’m the one paying you!” He snapped. “We’re taking them with us.” He wasn’t leaving them paralyzed in the woods, at the mercy of who knows what. With a grumble she managed to settle Nyla beyond eagerly shifting feet. He slung Sokka and Katara securely across the saddle. Then he cleared his throat. When he was sure the siblings’ eyes were on him he very deliberately tucked the necklace in the side pocket of the bag. Then he adjusted the flap and shifted the bag enough so that a waterbending scroll moved into view. Katara gaped. Sokka smiled. Zuko ignored both of them as he settled behind his uncle, one hand hovering over them in case they started to slip.

Nyla took off, following the Avatar’s scent. Back the way they’d come. Back towards the abbey.

Aang had never lost anyone until, what felt to him like, this year. Now it seemed like it was all he _could_ do. He’d run and lost Gyatso and nearly everyone else he’d ever known. He’d tried to keep Katara and Sokka with him and driven them away. He was reluctant to leave the abbey out of some misplaced hope that they would change their mind. But it looked like it was just him, Momo, and Appa. Nice going, Aang.

“Avatar, you must leave!” The Mother Superior ran up to him and Aang grit his teeth, tightening one of the loose reins on Appa’s horn.

“Okay, I get it. Everyone wants me gone.” He said.

“A group of people came to the abbey looking for you!” She explained, hurriedly.

“Who?” Aang asked, startled.

“A fierce looking woman with a horrible monster.” She said. “And a young man with a scar.”

“Zuko!” Aang sat up immediately. He felt instantly lighter despite the weight of Katara and Sokka’s absence. Maybe now he could convince the older boy to come with him. Zuko wouldn’t want him traveling alone, right?

“The beast was using the scent of a necklace to follow you.”

“A necklace?” Aang stiffened. “Katara!” How much could Zuko hold back against Katara and Sokka without giving himself away? Aang had _seen_ him fight at the Stronghold. He knew that he was more than a match for the two of them, even if he didn’t want to hurt them. But how could he let them get way without it being obvious? Aang grabbed his glider. “Let’s go!”

Aang spiraled above the abbey, he spotted the creature’s approach and saw it burst through the now closed abbey doors. Sokka and Katara were immobile on the back of the saddle, Zuko’s hand protectively hovering over them. There was also the old man and a scary looking woman. Katara and Sokka were fine. Zuko wouldn’t hurt them. Not really. The beast circled, and Aang, knowing he’d lose the element of surprise any second, dive bombed the group, making the mount rear and dump it’s passengers.

“Aang!” He was relieved to hear Katara exclaim. He knew Zuko wouldn’t hurt them.

Aang landed in front of the beast, the woman had remounted in an instant and as it ran at him, Appa rammed it. Ouch. That looked like it hurt.

Aang straightened then tensed as he noticed Zuko. The face was set in a scowl but now that he knew what to look for Aang noticed his golden eyes dart to Katara and Sokka being dragged away by nuns. Looking him up and down, a glimmer of concern marring his forehead. Golden eyes met grey and a short burst of flame signaled that they couldn’t talk. His head turned ever so slightly to indicate his uncle and the woman. They had to make this look good. Aang fell into a stance with a grin. He could make it look good. If they wanted a showy fight, Aang and Zuko could give it to them.

Zuko attacked, clearly telegraphing his move, Aang easily parried and returned the strike. Elements volleyed between them until Zuko made it close enough for hand to hand. They never hit each other, but it truly appeared to be an earnest fight.

Aang felt like he was training with Gyatso and Kuzon again. He’d never seen the appeal of fighting, but Kuzon liked to spar and Gyatso thought it was a good lesson. Zuko would have fit right in. He adjusted his stances, directed his attacks just to the left of weak spots in his defense.

Zuko was teaching him how to fight firebenders without ever saying a word.

At the realization, Aang got a little bit enthusiastic and the blast that Zuko had to deflect him with sent them both flying up onto the roof!

…Oops.

Zuko must have recovered first because he yanked Aang out of the small crater, roughly to an observer, but his grip, though firm, wasn’t bruising. “You okay?” Aang caught the whisper.

“Uh huh.” He nodded.

“Good.” Zuko pulled away, feigning being pushed by a blast of air and threw another fireball. Aang pushed him back a little farther and Zuko came at him with a… was that an Airball move? It looked exactly like a move called the peacock tail that was used to bat the ball in Airball but made out of fire. Aang parried, forced him back again, and used the peacock tail to come after him. Yeah, he was in the same stance Zuko had been. How weird.

Aang quickly forgot about the similarities in style as Zuko dodged out of the way and the beast he’d been riding leapt on to the roof. Unlike Zuko, that was a real threat. Aang ran.

He spotted Zuko tapping his nose frantically as he chased after them. That was right! The Mother Superior said it was tracking his scent! And it didn’t have any eyes! Aang dove into the koi pond under the bridge and out the other side. The creature tried to follow but whipped its head around as a soaked Aang darted away. Only to be cut off by a blast of fire. Aang faced Zuko across a well.

“How long do you think we can keep this up?” Aang panted as they did fancy footwork, practically dancing on top of the stone circle.

“Not much longer.” Zuko muttered barely out of breath. “You have to get out of here before the shirshu incapacities your bison.”

“Before it what-?” Aang stiffened as he noticed the creature and the woman ganging up on Appa. “Appa!”

“ _Aang!_ ” Zuko hissed as he raced off. He sent a weak fireball after Aang to keep up pretenses and Aang barely bothered dodging.

“You leave Appa alone!” He shouted, hurling a blast of air at the pair. He barely managed to dodge the combination of the whip and the tongue. Uh oh, maybe he hadn’t thought this through. Zuko stood between them, eyes darting from the shirshu to Aang. There was a weird flowery scent in the air and an instant later a torrent of floral liquid doused them all.

And the shirshu went wild. The tongue flicked out wildly, at random. The woman was thrown free. Aang turned towards the source of the pungent attack, Katara and Sokka surrounded by jars of perfume, when a strong hand shoved him. Aang stumbled forward and heard Zuko grunt in discomfort. Aang spun in time to see Zuko fall to the ground. “Zuko!” Aang surged forward, not even noticing the creature strike its mistress.

“Don’t!” Zuko snapped lowly. “Now’s your chance. _Go._ ” Aang hesitated. Zuko narrowed his eyes.

Then Sokka grabbed his shoulder. “It wears off pretty fast.” He said, adding in a lower voice. “Ixnay on the friends-ay.” Right, don’t blow his cover… No matter how much he _wanted_ Zuko’s cover blown.

“Come on, Aang.” Katara coaxed. Reluctantly, Aang turned away, dragging his feet enough to notice Sokka give Zuko a nod, and Zuko blink his eyes slowly in acknowledgement. On their way out, Sokka slowed.

“Huh, that’s weird. I didn’t see the old guy get hit with the tongue.” He said.

The old man’s bronze eyes peeked open and he whispered, “Shh!” from his position under the scary lady. Her eyes narrowed. Sokka’s eyes widened and he hustled the rest of them out before the man could decide to fight again.

Aang was relieved that Katara and Sokka had chosen to continue traveling with him. He started to open his mouth but then Sokka was hefting a heavy brown bag into the center of the saddle. A bag that wasn’t Water Tribe make… “Did you guys steal that from Zuko?!” Aang demanded, outraged.

“He wanted us to.” Sokka said with a grin. Katara nearly tore the side pocket off the bag in her desperate fumbling to pull out her mother’s necklace. She relaxed once it was in her hands. Zuko had replaced the clasp with some kind of dark metal. She had to fuss with it a bit to work out how to get it on, but once she did she felt how much more secure the new fastening was.

“Are you sure?” Aang asked warily.

“See for yourself.” Sokka plucked the waterbending scroll out of the bag and waggled it between his fingers. “Can’t imagine another reason he’d just be carrying this around.” Katara snatched it from him, eagerly unfurling it. Aang perked up and descended on the bag too.

“Is there a letter?!” He asked eagerly, rummaging through it. Ah! He triumphantly pulled out a carefully folded page, then slumped when he opened it up and realized it was just a map.

Sokka snatched it out of the air, keeping it from blowing away, as Aang tossed it aside to keep looking. “Aang! This is an up to date map!” He scolded. “It’s got all the latest Fire Nation bases and territory so we can avoid it!”

“Uh huh…” Aang mumbled, pulling out food, an earthbending scroll, and a bulging coin purse. No letter. The largest thing in the bag was some kind of black garment that was smooth, possible water proof on the outside, but had a soft inner lining. When Aang tugged it free, he realized it was heavy. As if it had been wrapped around something.

He felt something slither out of the first layer and gasped when it fell on to the saddle. It was a string of prayer beads, proper _threngwa_ , that he hadn’t seen since he left the Temple. He grabbed them and wrapped them around his wrist and fingers. He turned to the black cloth and unwrapped it carefully. Then he froze.

Katara and Sokka looked up from their scroll and map when they heard Aang whimper. He was trembling, choked off sobs catching in his throat.

“Aang?” Katara lowered the scroll. “What’s wrong?” Aang clutched a packet of pages bound on the long edge.

“What is it?” Sokka asked.

“It’s the _Collected Adventures of Nun Italia_.” He said, voice strained. “My favorite book.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _The Collected Adventures of Nun Italia_ are basically a Sherlock Holmes meets 1940s adventure novel with a globetrotting heroine. (Did I just describe a gritty, action packed _Murder, She Wrote_? ...You know what? I'm okay with that.) 
> 
> And I definitely think that Zuko would pick up Air Nomadic plays and novels! As for it being Aang's favorite... Well, that's just instinct. 😏 
> 
> As for the "peacock tail"... _Right_ after Zuko did that attack Aang did the same one but with air. Just got me thinking, maybe it was originally an airbending attack. I didn't have a good way to describe it, so I gave it a name. ^_^ I'm just going to say it, I actually really enjoy this fight. It's one of the best fights in the first season. I don't know if it's because it's one on one or what but I think it's really good. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> “Some friendships are so strong they can even transcend lifetimes.” -Avatar Roku regarding his friendship with Monk Gyatso.


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